The Sims is a series of life simulation video games developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts (EA). The franchise has sold nearly 200 million copies worldwide, and is one of the best-selling video game series of all time. It is also part of the larger Sim series, started by SimCity in 1989. The games in the Sims series are largely sandbox games, in that they lack any defined goals (except for some later expansion packs and console versions which introduced this gameplay style). The player creates virtual people called "Sims", places them in houses, and helps direct their moods and satisfy their desires. Players can either place their Sims in pre-constructed homes or build them themselves. Each successive expansion pack and game in the series augmented what the player could do with their Sims.
Development
Game designer Will Wright was inspired to create a "virtual doll house" after losing his home during the Oakland firestorm of 1991 and subsequently rebuilding his life. Replacing his home and his other possessions made him think about adapting that life experience into a game. When Wright initially took his ideas to the Maxis board of directors, they were skeptical and gave little support or financing for the game. The directors at Electronic Arts, which bought Maxis in 1997, were more receptive—SimCity had been a great success for them, and they foresaw the possibility of building a strong Sim franchise. Wright has stated that The Sims was meant as a satire of U.S. consumer culture. Wright took ideas from the 1977 architecture and urban design book A Pattern Language, American psychologist Abraham Maslow's 1943 paper A Theory of Human Motivation and his hierarchy of needs, and Charles Hampden-Turner's Maps of the Mind to develop a model for the game's artificial intelligence.
Games
Main series
The Sims (2000)
The Sims was the first game in the series. Developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts, it was released for Microsoft Windows on February 4, 2000. The game used dimetric projection and featured open-ended simulation of the daily activities of one or more virtual people ("Sims") in a suburban area near SimCity. Between 2000 and 2003, seven expansion packs were released. The Sims was rereleased in numerous different deluxe editions, compilations, and formats. By March 22, 2002, The Sims had sold more than 6.3 million copies worldwide, surpassing Myst as the best-selling PC game in history at the time. By February 2005, the game had shipped 16 million copies worldwide. The Sims received seven expansion packs:
The Sims was re-released for Windows 10 and 11 on January 31, 2025, as part of The Sims franchise's twenty-fifth birthday celebration as The Sims Legacy Collection. The Sims Legacy Collection includes all original seven expansion packs.
The Sims 2 (2004)
Electronic Arts released The Sims 2 on September 14, 2004. The sequel, developed by Maxis, takes place in a full 3D environment as opposed to the dimetric projection of the original game. Sims age through seven life stages, from infancy to old age and subsequent death. Another major feature is the aspiration system. Each Sim exhibits wants and fears according to their aspiration and personality. Consequently, the level of the aspiration meter determines the effectiveness of a Sim at completing tasks. The fulfillment of wants provides aspiration points, which can be used to purchase aspiration rewards. The game also features clear days of the week, with weekends when children can stay home from school and vacation days when adults can take time off work. The Sims 2 is set some 25 years after the original game. For instance, the Goth family has aged significantly with Bella Goth mysteriously vanishing at some point in the 25 years. Because the entire game has progressed from 2D sprites to 3D models, all content in The Sims 2 had to be created from the ground up. Due to this, The Sims 2 was not made backward-compatible with any content from the first generation of the main series; however, some objects and features from the original series were remade for the sequel. Eight expansion packs and nine "stuff packs" were released for The Sims 2. Over 400 items were also released for the game via The Sims 2 Store. The Sims 2 received eight expansion packs:
The Sims 2 was re-released for Windows 10 and 11 on January 31, 2025, as part of The Sims franchise's twenty-fifth birthday celebration as The Sims 2 Legacy Collection. The Sims 2 Legacy Collection includes all original eight expansion packs and nine stuff packs.
The Sims 3 (2009)
Electronic Arts released The Sims 3 on June 2, 2009. The sequel was announced by EA in November 2006. The game is set some time before the original game and features an open, seamless neighborhood, improved Sim creation tools, enhanced build and buy mode functions, and the introduction of wishes and goals. The game introduced a new form of directed gameplay through small, step-wise goals presented as opportunities for the player to pursue or refuse. The Sims 3 sold 1.4 million copies in the first week, making it the largest release in PC gaming history at the time. The Sims 3 is set before The Sims. For example, the Goth family is much younger, and Bella Goth, an adult in the first game, is a child and is named Bella Bachelor. Some players speculate that the game takes place 25 years before the original game, the same way The Sims 2 takes place 25 years after The Sims. Eleven expansion packs and nine "stuff packs" were released for The Sims 3. In addition, many items are available online for additional fees at The Sims 3 Store. The Sims 3 received eleven expansion packs:
The Sims 4 (2014)
Electronic Arts announced The Sims 4 on May 6, 2013. The announcement stated that the game was in development by Maxis. The Sims 4 takes place in an alternative setting/timeline from the game's previous installments. Later in 2014, further details on features and gameplay were announced. The release date of September 2, 2014, was announced at E3 2014. As of February 2026, twenty-one "expansion packs", twelve "game packs", twenty "stuff packs", forty-four "kits", and eleven "creator kits" have been released, and updates have added content that was previously absent, such as basements, ghosts, pools, modular stairs, toddlers, new careers, terrain tools, additional skin tones, bunk beds and infants. The Sims 4 was made free-to-play on October 18, 2022. The Sims 4 has received twenty-one expansion packs:
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